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GRE

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for most Graduate Schools in the United States. Created and administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in 1949, the exam aims to measure verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not entirely based on any specific field of study outside of the GRE itself. The GRE General Test is offered as a computer-based exam administered at Prometric testing centers.

In the graduate school admissions process, the level of emphasis that is placed upon GRE scores varies widely between schools and between departments within schools. The importance of a GRE score can range from being a mere admission formality to an important selection factor.

The structure of the computer-based GRE General Test consists of six sections. The first section is always the analytical writing section involving separately timed issue and argument tasks. The next five sections consist of two verbal reasoning sections, two quantitative reasoning sections, and either an experimental or research section. These five sections may occur in any order. The experimental section does not count towards the final score but is not distinguished from the scored sections. Unlike the computer adaptive test before August 2011, the GRE General Test is a multistage test, where the examinee’s performance on earlier sections determines the difficulty of subsequent sections. This format allows the examined person to freely move back and forth between questions within each section, and the testing software allows the user to “mark” questions within each section for later review if time remains. The entire testing procedure lasts about 3 hours 45 minutes. One-minute breaks are offered after each section and a 10-minute break after the third section.

The paper-based GRE General Test consists of six sections and is only available in areas where computer-based testing is unavailable. The analytical writing is split up into two sections, one section for each issue and argument task. The next four sections consist of two verbal and two quantitative sections in varying order. There is no experimental section on the paper-based test.

Verbal section

The computer-based verbal sections assess reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and vocabulary usage. The verbal test is scored on a scale of 130-170, in 1-point increments (Before August, 2011 the scale was 200–800, in 10-point increments). In a typical examination, each verbal section consists of 20 questions to be completed in 30 minutes. Each verbal section consists of about 6 text completion, 4 sentence equivalence, and 10 critical reading questions. The changes in 2011 include a reduced emphasis on rote vocabulary knowledge and the elimination of antonyms and analogies. Text completion items have replaced sentence completions and new reading question types allowing for the selection of multiple answers were added.

Quantitative section

The computer-based quantitative sections assess basic high school level mathematical knowledge and reasoning skills. The quantitative test is scored on a scale of 130–170, in 1-point increments (Before August 2011 the scale was 200–800, in 10-point increments). In a typical examination, each quantitative section consists of 20 questions to be completed in 35 minutes. Each quantitative section consists of about 8 quantitative comparisons, 9 problem solving items, and 3 data interpretation questions. The changes in 2011 include the addition of numeric entry items requiring the examinee to fill in a blank and multiple-choice items requiring the examinee to select multiple correct responses.

Analytical writing section

The analytical writing section consists of two different essays, an “issue task” and an “argument task”. The writing section is graded on a scale of 0–6, in half-point increments. The essays are written on a computer using a word processing program specifically designed by ETS. The program allows only basic computer functions and does not contain a spell-checker or other advanced features. Each essay is scored by at least two readers on a six-point holist scale. If the two scores are within one point, the average of the scores is taken. If the two scores differ by more than a point, a third reader examines the response.

Issue Task

The test taker is given 30 minutes to write an essay about a selected topic. Issue topics are selected from a pool of questions, which the GRE Program has published in its entirety. Individuals preparing for the GRE may access the pool of tasks on the ETS website.

Argument task

The test taker will be given an argument (i.e. a series of facts and considerations leading to a conclusion) and will be asked to write an essay that critiques the argument. Test takers are asked to consider the argument’s logic and to make suggestions about how to improve the logic of the argument. Test takers are expected to address the logical flaws of the argument, not to provide a personal opinion on the subject. The time allotted for this essay is 30 minutes. The Arguments are selected from a pool of topics, which the GRE Program has published in its entirety. Individuals preparing for the GRE may access the pool of tasks on the ETS website.

Experimental section

The experimental section, which can be either verbal or quantitative, contains new questions ETS is considering for future use. Although the experimental section does not count towards the test-taker’s score, it is unidentified and appears identical to the scored sections. Because test takers have no definite way of knowing which section is experimental, it is typically advised that test takers try their best on every section. Sometimes an identified research section at the end of the test is given instead of the experimental section. There is no experimental section on the paper-based GRE.

Scoring

An examinee can miss one or more questions on a multiple-choice section and still receive a perfect score of 170. Likewise, even if no question is answered correctly, 130 is the lowest possible score.

Scaled score percentiles

The percentiles for the current General test and the concordance with the prior format are as follows. Means and standard deviations for the measures on the new score scale are not yet available:

Scaled score

Verbal reasoning percentile

Verbal prior scale

Quantitative reasoning percentile

Quantitative prior scale

170

99

760–800

98

800

169

99

740–750

97

800

168

98

720–730

95

800

167

97

710

94

800

166

96

700

92

800

165

95

680–690

90

790

164

93

660–670

88

790

163

92

650

86

780

162

89

630–640

83

770

161

87

620

80

770

160

84

600–610

78

760

159

81

590

74

750

158

78

570–580

71

740

157

74

560

68

730

156

71

540–550

64

720

155

67

530

60

700–710

154

63

510–520

56

690

153

59

500

52

680

152

54

480–490

48

660–670

151

50

460–470

44

640–650

150

45

450

40

630

149

41

430–440

37

610–620

148

36

420

32

590–600

147

33

410

28

570–580

146

29

390–400

25

550–560

145

25

380

21

530–540

144

22

370

18

500–520

143

18

350–360

15

480–490

142

16

340

12

460–470

141

13

330

10

430–450

140

10

320

8

400–420

139

8

310

6

380–390

138

7

300

4

350–370

137

5

290

3

330–340

136

3

280

2

300–320

135

2

280

1

280–290

134

2

270

1

260–270

133

1

260

1

240–250

132

1

250

<1

220–230

131

1

240

<1

200–210

130

<1

200–230

<1

200

Field-wise distribution of takers of GRE revised General Test.

Analytical Writing score

Writing % Below

6

99

5.5

98

5

93

4.5

80

4

56

3.5

38

3

15

2.5

7

2

2

1.5

1

1

<1

0.5

<1

“Field-wise distribution” of test takers is “limited to those who earned their college degrees up to two years before the test date.” ETS provides no score data for “non-traditional” students who have been out of school more than two years, although its own report “RR-99-16” indicated that 22% of all test takers in 1996 were over the age of 30.

Many graduate schools in the United States require GRE results as part of the admissions process. The GRE is a standardized test intended to measure the abilities of all graduates in tasks of general academic nature, regardless of their fields of specialization. The GRE is intended to measure the extent to which undergraduate education has developed an individual’s verbal and quantitative skills in abstract thinking.

Unlike other standardized admissions tests (such as the SAT, LSAT, and MCAT), the use and weight of GRE scores vary considerably not only from school to school, but from department to department, and from program to program. As an example, most business schools and economics programs require very high GRE or GMAT scores for entry, while engineering programs are known to allow more score variation. Programs in liberal arts topics may only consider the applicant’s verbal score to be of interest, while mathematics and science programs may only consider quantitative ability. Admission to graduate schools depends on a complex mix of several different factors. Schools see letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, GPA, GRE score etc. Some schools use the GRE in admissions decisions, but not in funding decisions; others use the GRE for the selection of scholarship and fellowship candidates, but not for admissions. In some cases, the GRE may be a general requirement for graduate admissions imposed by the university, while particular departments may not consider the scores at all. Graduate schools will typically provide information about how the GRE is considered in admissions and funding decisions, and the average scores of previously admitted students. In some cases programs have hard cut off requirements for the GRE, such as the Yale Economics PhD program which requires a minimum quantitative score of 160 to apply. The best way to find out how a particular school or program evaluates a GRE score in the admissions process is to contact the person in charge of graduate admissions for the specific program in question.